The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly

The last movie of the Dollars trilogy is a bit different then the
previous ones. First of all, the title doesn't mention anything about
dollars (I'm sure you didn't need to read this page to figure this one
out). Yet it is still considered part of the series due to the appearance of
Clint Eastwood, and the similarity of story (all three concern the acquisition
of large amounts of gold by The Man With No Name playing two sides against each
other). Secondly, the budget is considerably larger, and therefore, for the
first time, there are huge sets with many people in them.

This movie is the most famous of all of Leone's work, largely because of
the incredible Ennio Morricone score featuring the modulated screaming in the
main theme that is the most instantly recognizable western theme of all time.
There are only a few pieces of film scores that have risen beyond the films
they are associated with to become part of our culture (the stabbing music in
Psycho, for example), and this is one of a very select group.
Morricone's theme was the attempt to recreate a hyena's cry, and while
most people don't recognize a hyena, the pure energy and aggressiveness of
the scream is a powerful motif in the film that Leone uses to good advantage,
punctuating scenes with them throughout his film.

The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly, concerns three people searching for
two hundred thousand dollars worth of gold (coincidentally the cost to make
A Fistful of Dollars). Clint Eastwood is once again the good guy (really
only relatively good), called "Blondie" by Tuco, although he once
more has no name. He learns the name of the grave under which the gold is
buried, while under a forced marched by Tuco. He is the Good (Il Buono).
Lee van Cleef is back, this time in the role of Angel-Eyes, a ruthless killer
who relentlessly tracks down the first those who stole the gold, and then
Blondie and Tuco after learning that they know where it is. He is the Bad
(Il Cattivo). Finally we have the most interesting character of the
bunch, a two-bit bandit with a criminal record a mile long, and price on his
head by the name of Tuco, who is played by Eli Wallach. Tuco knows the name of
the cemetery where the gold is buried, but only Blondie knows the name of the
grave. He is the Ugly (Il Brutto). In Italian, the film is Il Buono,
Il Brutto, Il Cattivo, which translates to "The Good, The Ugly, The
Bad", but the title was wisely switched around to sound better in English.
Those who have seen the laserdisc version could be confused (as I was) by the
trailer which labels Tuco as the Bad, and Angel-Eyes as the Ugly. Even though
Tuco is bad, and Angel-Eyes is ugly, Tuco is more of a comic character, while
Angel-Eyes is quite viciously evil. Those who know Italian say the trailer got
it wrong.

The style of the film is almost but not quite Leone's peak. The final
three way duel is, however, the best shoot-out in any of Leone's works, and
in fact the best duel of its kind I have ever seen (the final duel in Barry
Lyndon is probably the best duel of any kind, however). Morricone's
music and Leone's editing create an emotional peak rarely seen in movies.
For quite a few minutes, Leone simply flashes between shots of the duelists
looking at each other and moving their hands slowly towards their guns, in an
ever increasing speed, while Morricone's ecstatic music plays, the tension
mounting higher and higher until finally it erupts in a blaze of gunfire.

The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly closes a trilogy of films about
nothing more than the quest for money. After this Leone's films have a
definite change in substance, dealing with a host of different themes,
indicating a definite maturation of his work. Yet the simplicity of the themes
of his early westerns is a beautiful thing; man against man against man, and
may the fastest draw win. Nothing more.

This was the first Sergio Leone film avaliable in letterbox. Accept nothing
less, or else you will miss seeing all three duelists in some shots of the
final shootout.